The Eye of the Doe
by platarozaluna
Summary: What if Umbridge stayed after Order of the Phoenix? She has a dark secret that requires her to hide in the protection of Dumbledore or risk certain death. When she makes her first friend, he would go to any lengths to protect her-will it be enough?
1. Chapter 1: What I've Become

**In the Eye of the Doe**

**Chapter 1: What I've Become**

**(Umbridge)  
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When she awoke, she didn't know where she was. She blinked her eyes a few times as the Hogwarts Hospital Wing came sharply into focus. She tried to sit up, but a stabbing pain in her head forced her to lie back down. Her long brown curly hair, normally neatly back in a bun, was down and had fallen around her, down nearly to her waist_. Cornelius will want me to cut that_, she thought. Her left wrist was wrapped in gauze that a bit of blood had seeped through. There was a long sweeping cut down her right arm, but where did all this come from? Had she been in a fight? Would she need a new Educational Degree not to attack the High Inquisitor? She'd have Argus post it immediately. Stupid snivelling man that he was. Umbridge sat up a bit straighter in her bed, propping herself up on pillows. There was the Potter boy and his wicked little friends across from her...but why were they here? Had they attacked her and she fought back? Madam Pomfrey rushed by just then and Umbridge called out to her hesitantly.

"Need something?"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey, I was wondering if you could tell me just what happened to me. I'm afraid I have no recollection," she explained, but Madam Pomfrey merely scoffed and turned away. Now the school year was over, she wanted out as soon as possible. She slipped out of the white linens and into her pink flats at the foot of the bed. She was a bit dizzy, but nothing she couldn't handle. Keeping one hand against the wall to steady herself, Dolores Umbridge made her way down to her third floor office. Everywhere she turned, people were...laughing at her. How dare they!

"Get out why don't you, no one wants you here!" the Indian girl hissed with a smirk.

"Miss Patil! I am High Inquisitor of this school and how dare you disrespect me! It's not too late...the feast has not happened yet. 50 points from Gryffindor!" she spat. Parvati Patil and her sister Padma merely laughed.

"You have no power here anymore. Haven't you heard? Dumbledore is headmaster again and Fudge resigned after he admitted that You-Know-Who is back after all! Harry was telling the truth!" Parvati exclaimed cheerfully and tossed Umbridge a copy of the Daily Prophet. She looked down at the headlines and...the silly girl was right! But Cornelius...would have told her if he was to resign? Wouldn't he have? She flipped anxiously to the article of his resignation-it was only really a short blurb in a sea of stories about Harry Potter being the Chosen One.

"Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge has decided to resign from his post and spend time with his long-time girlfriend...Rita Skeeter!" She cast the paper away and hurried down the Grand Staircase, not caring who saw her. She could barely see...couldn't breathe, and certainly wasn't about to believe it. He'd promised her right when he had his way with her on his desk in the Minister office at the Ministry. She'd felt cheap, but he'd assured her that there was nothing cheap about her-she was beautiful and he loved her. She ran into her office and slammed the door so hard that one of the glass kitten plates fell to the ground and smashed. They really were vile little things, so she didn't particularly care. She grabbed the jar of Floo Powder. She'd go and see him. She had to. That was when her eyes landed on the note.

"Dolly,

I'm sure you've seen this morning's prophet. Rita's pregnant. I'm sorry, it's over.

-C"

Her hands shook as she read it. He'd gotten that slimeball reporter pregnant...while he was telling her he planned to make her his wife. No. She crumpled up the letter and threw it into the fire. She picked up a ginger ceramic kitten off her desk and hurled it at the wall. Then a cat plate. Then a pink vase. The dresses, the bows, the kittens...she'd done all of that for him. She'd been a bartender before she met him for god's sake.

"I don't even like pink! I like red damnit!" she spat to no one in particular and cleared her desk in one fluid swipe and tore the damn bow out of her hair. She knelt down in the broken glass and broke down. She trusted him. He'd said he loved her. He saved her that night...and since then, she lived for him. Now what did she have? She'd given everything up to do what he wanted and sacrificed friendships, respect, honor, and her old self. She didn't even hear him come in until he cleared his throat. She looked up and was suddenly ashamed, for standing above her crumpled, ragged form was Albus Dumbledore. She had treated him like dirt on her scumbag boyfriend's orders, and now he stood before her.

"I would have thought you'd be long gone by now, Dolores," he said sharply. Then, she didn't know what came over her. She grabbed the hem of his robes as tears streamed down her face.

"Please let me stay another year," she pleaded. Without Cornelius's protection...she couldn't trust that no one would give her up. In that case, he would find her. There was only one place she was safe: Hogwarts.

"I thought you did not wish to stay," Dumbledore reminded her skeptically.

"I've had a change of heart. Please. What about "Help will always be available at Hogwarts to those who need it," she protested.

"Very well. You do acknowledge that I am again acting Headmaster? And that your previous practices will not be tolerable," he said gravely and Dolores Umbridge nodded anxiously. "Different arrangements have already been made for the defense against the dark arts post next year, however, our Astronomy teacher, Professor Sinistra, is to be married at the end of the summer and will be taking leave of Hogwarts to start her family. Would you be open to that position?" Dumbledore offered.

"Yes and thank you, headmaster!" she exclaimed and with that, leapt up and shook his hand vigorously. He looked suspicious. "I'd like to turn over a new leaf with the new year," she said, trying her best at a smile. Dumbledore cast her a quizzical look on his way out, but did not question her further.

Later that day...

Dolores Umbridge cast another pebble into the lake from where she sat safely in the shade of a large beech tree. Stupid Fudge. Stupid Skeeter. What terrified her though, was that it would only be a matter of time before Cornelius got himself drunk and spilled the beans about her to his bitch...and if she knew, the world would know, and -he- would know. As if on cue, her left forearm burned and she collapsed against the tree and pulled up the sleeve of her itchy pink cardigan. It was as dark as it had been in years. She stared at the snake emerging from the skull and wondered if she closed her eyes, could she will it away? 

"It hurts, doesn't it?" She jumped and pulled her sleeve back down quickly before turning around. Severus Snape stood before her.

"I didn't even hear you approach," she snapped and he sat down on the other side of the tree.

"It would seem that even you have something to hide, Dolores," he growled and looked out over the lake somewhat somberly.

"Don't call me that!" she hissed.

"What?"

"My name isn't Dolores Umbridge!" she exclaimed. He'd find out soon enough. They all would. She must have gotten his attention, because he'd turned towards her and was eying her with an expression of both confusion and disgust simultaneously.

"My name...is Charnette Lestrange. I was a Slytherin two years behind you, do you remember?" she reminded him, not meeting his eyes. It had been so long since she'd even heard that name, let alone connected it to herself.

"Rodolphus's younger sister, I remember," Severus recalled. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened to you? Why are you going around pretending to be that pink monster? That's not the Charnette I remember. The Charnette I knew had a goal of getting a tattoo of a raven holding a black rose on her back. Her favorite color was red...she had two different coloured eyes," he continued and she sighed and slid a brown contact lens out of her right eye, revealing that it was indeed a soft, forest green.

"I suppose it's no use keeping it from you now you know, and I expect you'd have gotten the full story sooner or later and I'd rather you find out from me than from that blasted Rita Skeeter," she muttered. She couldn't help but wonder that when Severus said he remembered her, how much did he remember?

"When I left Hogwarts, I ended up becoming a bartender for a pub in Knockturn Alley. Each night, I had quite a few drinks myself. One night, I came home drunk and nearly splinched myself in the process. Well, Rodolphus and his friends were there and...I blacked out. When I woke up, I had the Dark Mark on my arm and had pledged myself one of his followers. It was fun at first, but then I wanted out. Regulus and I tried to get away, but Tom (though he was You-Know-Who by that time) found Regulus and killed him," she paused then to see if he was even still listening. He was hanging on to every word. " I was sitting in the kitchen of an old friend, Mariya, my year from Ravenclaw. She told me she might know how to remove the Dark Mark. That was the worst night of my life. That was the night Charnette died. He...found me. One minute, Mariya and I were in the kitchen talking and the next, the house was on fire and we were screaming. Suddenly, there was a...great explosion and the pain was agonizing. The next I remember, I was in the arms of Cornelius Fudge and he was telling me I was going to be alright. The house burned down and Mariya, my best friend, was ash. He worked for the Ministry at this point, but he wasn't Minister. He had connections, though. He tended me himself until I healed...but You-Know-Who believed Charnette Lestrange to be dead. Cornelius used his connections to create the identity of Dolores Umbridge and suddenly, I worked at the Ministry in Cornelius's division. I wore pink and bows, loved kittens and adorable things, and was a disciplined, order-keeping, stuffy bitch. I was the opposite of fun, wild, party-girl, rebel Charnette. No one suspected a thing. The problem is, Cornelius is with that Skeeter woman and it's only a matter of time before he lets it slip about me. She'd have a field day with that one, but then he'd know I lived and come after me. I thought Charnette was truly gone, but it seems not," she said bitterly. Severus Snape said nothing for a long time. "Severus?" she tapped his shoulder hesitantly.

"So I presume you're going to try to remain under Dumbledore's protection," he murmured.

"You're looking at Professor Umbridge, now the Hogwarts Astronomy teacher," she explained, for she was going to hide in the protection of Dolores Umbridge for as long as she could.

"I suppose I'll see you in fall then, Dolores," Snape said rather shortly and he got to his feet.

"I hate that name. Makes me sound like a right stuffy old bit," she growled, not necessarily to him. She was thinking aloud, rather.

"Well...I suppose we could call you Dolly, or-"

"No. Not Dolly," Umbridge broke in. Severus didn't need to know about Cornelius. It wasn't relevant.

"How about Doe?" he suggested and she was caught a bit off guard-this was the longest conversation they'd had all year and was he really offering her a pet name? She was reminded then of the Severus she'd once known, all those years ago.

"Sounds good to me...Doe...it's different, I like it," Umbridge replied. It was starting to look like perhaps she might just make her first friend on the Hogwarts teaching staff.

**A/N: I started writing this idea three years ago, and I was recently inspired to go back to it. Please please please submit a review! That would absolutely make my day :) I also plan to return to "Sweetest Agony" while I'm on my Harry Potter kick, so if you're into Bellatrix/Voldemort, check it out :)**

**~platarozaluna**


	2. Chapter 2: Not Alone

**In the Eye of the Doe**

**Chapter 2: Not Alone**

**A/N: Hi! Here's the second update to "In the Eye of the Doe". Please review and tell me what you think :)  
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Screams pierced the brisk September night and a streak of green light shot through the living room. "Get down!" she shrieked, but it was too late. "Mare!" the lifeless body of her best friend crumpled before her, her brown eyes staring in horror at something now unseen. This was a high muggle area...someone from the Ministry would be here any minute...right? Another jet of green light shattered the kitchen window. Charnette dove under the table as it splintered to pieces above her. A flash of orange and flames lapped around her. Should she cry out for help? No...then Tom..no no...not Tom, he was gone, only Voldemort lived now and he would know she was in there, alive, if she made a sound. She curled herself into a tight ball and pretended she was dead, knowing that soon, she wouldn't have to pretend anymore. Again and again, she heard Mariya's scream. The snake on her forearm throbbed like it was going to crawl right out of her skin. It burned-he was angry.

Then, Charnette was in the arms of a man with short brown hair and a lime green bowler hat. He held her close to him as he said a healing spell over her burns. "It's okay...you're safe now," he murmured softly.

Dolores Umbridge jolted awake and found herself wrapped in her sheets in a cold sweat. She'd had the dream again. She rolled back over on her back and sighed. Today, she returned to Hogwarts for the start of the school year. In a way, it would be a bit refreshing-she'd spent the summer getting certified to teach Astronomy, but in a fearful haze, nearly afraid to check the Daily Prophet each day thinking that there'd be a Rita Skeeter article about Charnette Lestrange. Meanwhile, the Mark grew darker and stronger by the day. She knew she'd be safe at Hogwarts, but she worried about how she would be received, both by students and staff alike. She was ready to turn over a new leaf, but she didn't know if they were.

Dolores Umbridge selected a deep red dress for the occasion, paired with a long-sleeved black jacket that hid the Mark from view. She put on a pair of scarlet pumps and let her brown curly hair fall past her shoulders. With some makeup, she was no longer recognizable as Dolores Umbridge. She knew she might be taking a chance, but she brushed the thought away. To the world, Charnette Lestrange was long dead. They'd have no need to be suspicious of anyone that resembled her, there were hundreds of brunettes that wore red-she was just being silly. Although...she took another look in the mirror at the little tattoo on her chest-a black raven holding a rose in its talons. Maybe she should cover it up? No. She wanted him to see. She wanted him to know she hadn't changed.

When she boarded the teacher's car of the Hogwarts Express, she hurriedly stowed her things and found a compartment by herself. She'd rather be alone than face them-the stares, the accusations, the rumors. She closed her eyes slowly, thinking she'd use the time to get some rest she hoped would not be impeded by the usual nightmares. The compartment door slid open and she opened her eyes, instinctively gripping her wand. Then, she saw who it was and relaxed. "Oh...it's you," she murmured. Severus Snape just gave her a puzzled look. "Mind if I sit here?" he asked, but sat down across from her before she could reply. Dolores Umbridge nodded, but went back to staring out the window.

(Snape)

Severus Snape did not know what possessed him to sit with her. Well, he did know. He always sat by himself in this very compartment, but she'd beaten him to it this time. He watched Dolores Umbridge...no...Charnette curiously. She twirled her hair with her finger and looked out the window almost longingly as the little towns flashed by. Peaceful. As she'd never been.

His mind wandered to his own time at Hogwarts, how Charnette used to follow he, Rodolphus, and Lucius around. She tried so hard to be one of them. Her best friend was Bellatrix Black, who would later become her sister in-law, but not by Bellatrix's own doing. Her parents would arrange for her to marry Rodolphus Lestrange, a wealthy pureblood suitor, not knowing that her heart belonged to Tom Riddle, the man who would become the Dark Lord. But Charnette...silly Charnette. She would have given anything to be with him, but he loved Lily. And at first, Lily loved him, too. He willed himself not to think about that. Think about Charnette. Her one forest green eye, one mahogany brown. She wasn't that bad, he reasoned. Annoying, then, but in the bigger picture, not a bad person. For he'd known truly bad people. Her turning towards him broke him out of his memories. He felt something he couldn't quite place...he didn't like seeing her like this...so hopeless...so broken. She wasn't Charnette, but then again, she wasn't quite Umbridge either. She was different...-dare he think it- pretty. Her chestnut curls fell across her face like a curtain, lightly defining the high arch of her cheekbone. She looked about ten years younger and the dress...was a Charnette pick, not a Dolores Umbridge one. His eyes came to rest on a darkly inked tattoo just below her left clavicle-a raven holding a rose, spreading its wings.

"So you really are back, then?" he found himself asking.

"Depends on what you mean, but yes," she said, but didn't meet his eyes. They were silent again for a short time. "Do you think the Dark Lord is angry at people like us? You know, deserters," she asked suddenly and Snape stiffened.

"I would expect that the Dark Lord has a bit more on his plate right now than tracking down old Death Eaters that didn't come back for round two. He has new followers now," he replied stoically.

"Did you hear about the wandmaker, Ollivander? Prophet says he's disappeared," she remarked. "Now what could he have had that the Dark Lord wanted?" Snape didn't answer her. He knew exactly what the Dark Lord wanted, but he couldn't tell her.

"I believe he wanted to know of the best wand he could use to kill Harry Potter," he said curtly. Now, it was Umbridge's turn to be quiet. Harry Potter. Snape presumed she was wondering how Potter would react at seeing her again and if she would she be able to handle teaching him without getting upset with him. "Potter's arrogance rivals only his father's. While he may have all of the other teachers at this school wrapped around his finger, I'm not and you don't have to be." The compartment door slid open.

"Anything off the cart, professors?" the plump witch asked and Snape turned to Umbridge expectantly. She shook her head.

"I'm alright," she replied, but she was looking rather pale.

"A chocolate frog, if you will," Snape said and handed a few silver sickles to the witch. Chocolate frogs had been Charnette's favorite. He tossed her the frog casually and she smiled. "Don't mention it," he mumbled and looked at the sun setting out the train window. 

"I expect we'll be arriving soon." Umbridge's expression turned from pleased to sour as she looked down at her Chocolate Frogs card. "He's taken over that, too," she hissed and handed Snape the card. Even he frowned looking at it, for in his palm, was a Dark Lord Famous Witches and Wizards card. "I expect he thinks if he can get them young and brainwash them, he's all set," she murmured just as the compartment door opened once more.

"We're not hungry," he snapped, but it was not the witch pushing the trolley. Minerva McGonagall stood in the doorway in an emerald traveling cloak, looking down upon him.

"Why Severus, I only meant to ask-oh!"McGonagall looked shocked that Snape was not alone in the compartment. "New astronomy teacher, I presume? Professor Sinistra is pregnant, you know. Due in May," she remarked and Umbridge turned shyly to face her.

"Perhaps we can start over, Minerva," she said with a smile and extended her hand. Something must have clicked in McGonagall's mind because she scoffed and did not shake Umbridge's hand.

"Back for another year, Dolores? I don't know what it is you're playing at, but mark my words, the headmaster is going to have his eye on you-as will I," she snapped darkly and slid the compartment door shut. Umbridge sighed and Snape found himself placing a hand on her knee.

"They'll come around. Perhaps not right away, but they'll come around." She smiled faintly, but otherwise didn't respond. "Dolores-Doe? Everything's going to be alright," he assured her and that time, definitely caught a smile that reached her eyes. He wasn't quite sure where this gentle Severus Snape was coming from, but strangely enough, he was okay with it. It felt right and...a lot less lonely.

**A/N: awww Sevs is being nice :D review if you want to find out how Umbridge's first week back at Hogwarts goes-and how Harry, Ron, and Hermione react at having her for a teacher again. It's not all fluff, no worries**


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